How are you dealing with gas prices?

[MrsDucky]

I remember from driver's ed that slowing down saves gas. Does it matter how much? Not really...2 miles is enough at these prices! So, you choose...windows up or windows down, it's your two miles...and stop harrassing Greybear about it! Take away your fishing and some of you get cranky!

[Terry Beeson]

Actually, having worked in statistics for 25 years, I'm just very curious about the study and what it revealed. As Caddis and Ken said, the total makes a difference... Now with what CGB replied, the question becomes how much fuel was used and how many total laps/miles. I don't mean to make light of CGB's comments, but I have this "itch" to know all the details when it comes to a statistical study and experiment - which this was.

Yeah, I remember the slower driving saves mpgs from the 70s gas shortage. That was what caused the big push for the 55 mph speed limit... NOT safety... even though that was and added bonus to help get some votes.

I also remember Miss Daisy lecturing Hoke on the value of driving 15 in a 40 mph zone....

[strangercreek]

I've done some thinking about this and while I hate the gas prices, I think I am one of those people that does not worry about it a whole lot (another than the annoyance that I feel I'm being ripped off).

I drive a Toyota Tacoma with a V6 that averages 19-20 regular driving and gets as high as 21 on some highway trips. I am also an IT guy who travels 1200-1600 (sometimes higher) miles per month for work. That part is paid for but I usually drive an additional 1500-2000.

With that being said I was looking at getting rid of the truck, buying a Honda Civic that would get 35 MPG (estimate) and at current prices would save maybe $120-130 per month. I am on a budget just like everyone else but I don't think those numbers will justify getting a more efficient vehicle. I don't consider 20 mpg in a truck that inefficient anyway.

I will just try to conserve in other areas (cut down eating fast food which will take years off your life anyway, trying to shop smarter at the grocery store, etc).

I have been from KC to Taney three times in the last 5 weeks and I think gas will have to hit $5.00 for me to start changing plans (I save money to take these trips in the spring).

I heard Rush say something yesterday that made sense. If the oil companies did have a way to control oil prices and lowered them (not to start that argument), do you not think the government would raise the taxes on it to make up for the lost revenue? (their percentage would shrink due to the drop in price).

The government tax aspect on energy sucks. Just like anything else, lower taxes, people have more money in their pockets, it helps the economy (why is that so difficult?)

[trout fanatic]

I only live 2 miles from work so I put very little mileage on my truck. Having said that I have still cut my recreational mileage way back and only go to the store if I can combine 2 trips together. I am not going to let those fleecing bas-----, drive me into the poor house

[SilverMallard]

Nobody's picking on anybody. We're having a relatively intelligent discussion about how to minimize the impact of ridiculous fuel prices.

[crappiefisherman]

Hey guys. All cars behave differently.The operator is not the only key.Automobiles that are not maintained properly are the biggest waisters of fuel,PERIOD,.. It doesnt matter what you drive , gasoline only makes so much energy when burned.The heavier , larger , boxier vehicles will suffer more on the highway then the smaller vehicles.The larger more powerful vehicles benifit by not having to work as hard as the smaller underpowered vehicles.The harder you work the faster you wear out.6 of one and half a dozen of the other, if you own a vehicle your gonna have to pay to drive it.I certainly hope you are not so strapped by everyday bills that gasoline keeps you from enjoying the ozarks.You dont have to drive 80 miles to get a pizza, you can enjoy simpler things closer to you homes.Go visit a neighbor, take a walk with you wife ands kids,dont run up and down the lake wide open hoping nobobys at your favorite stump.slow down and smell the roses.

[Chief Grey Bear]

What they did was put the same amout of fuel in tank for each test. Then with the windows down they ran the car at the same speed around the track until the car ran out of gas. Then they filled her up witht he same amount of gas and ran it around the track with the AC on until it ran out of gas.

Apparently some of you didn't read what I originally wrote. Look again at the quote above and you SHOULD read where they used a full tank of fuel on each test until it ran dry. Meaning that it would be well more than 7 or 20 or whatever numbers you came up with.

The track was a one mile track. Each test was over 300 laps at the same constant speed. But one test was 2 laps more than the other. IIRC the speed was 60mph and it was in the neighborhood of 365 laps. But don't quote me, its been a a couple of years while I was driving down the road.

I'm starting to see why some of us are having trouble with a fish.

[Terry Beeson]

Ah, but Chief... I DID read the original post. And the information was interesting, but not enough to make a good test of hypothesis. Now with the additional and latest information and a couple of assumptions, I can give you a run down of the results.

Let's "assume" a few things:

1. The tank was a 15 gallon tank...

2. The car went 365 and 367 laps/miles...

3. The average person drives 15,000 miles per year...

4. The mpg from the test would be a good "average" to use for this calculation...

5. The average person uses his AC about 1/3 of the time he is driving...

The following are estimated results:

A. The car got 24.333 mpg with the AC.

B. The car got 24.467 mpg with the AC off and windows down.

C. At those numbers, a person driving 15,000 miles per year would use 616.4 and 613.1 gallons of gas per year.

D. Using the AC one-third of the time would mean a difference of about 1.1 gallons of gas.

Conclusion: The difference would be around $3.58 per year (at current $3.199/gal prices in Springfield.)

Chief,

These are the numbers I wanted to crunch to enhance your original post. That's why I needed more numbers.

This is strictly an "unscientific" conclusion based on the figures as provided and with the assumptions made. Your results may vary according to about 2,734 different factors... minimum...

But, it does give us a good idea of the minimal cost of driving with the AC on... going down the highway anyway... or around a NASCAR track...

Good discussion, Chief. I'm glad you posted this. And apologize for any grief I may have caused. Unintentional, I assure you...

[WebFreeman]

strangercreek, while fuel taxes help suck fuel like a V-8, they're a flat fee, not a percentage. So the govt. gets the same amount whether gas is $1 or $3 a gallon. THey should want gas prices to drop so people will increase their recreational driving, which leads to recreational spending. Sales tax is a percentage, so the more goods and food people buy, the more tax revenue is generated. Cities like Springfield w/ no city income tax get the vast majority of their revenue from sales tax. The sales tax is flat, no raises for employees, no additional services, no new hires, etc. They want people to have extra money to spend on other stuff. Same with towns like Branson. I think the sales tax is restaurants is around 10% (or it used to be).

[gonefishin]

Terry:

Heh heh hehh....You said 'assume'

Seriously did you swallow a calculator or something?

From the limited information on this post what would you say the percentage of people who are actually hurt by gas prices is compared to the number of people who are just annoyed by gas prices?